Early on the morning of November 6, twenty-one hardy souls met to begin our fall trip to stay at the Hinton Center in Haysville North Carolina. The facility was perfect for our needs and the fact that it was surrounded by trees with gorgeous fall colors and a large lake didn’t hurt at all. After unloading we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. In order to walk off the calories from our dessert of homemade chocolate chip cookies we headed for the mountains at Standing Indian National Recreation Area in the Nantahala National Forest.
For our first hike we selected a 1 mile round trip hike to the beautiful Big Laurel Falls. The trail was a bit wet, rough and rocky but we were rewarded with a wonderful view of the waterfall which was running powerfully after the recent rains. Of special note were the giant rhododendrons all along the trail.
Having taken a little longer than expected we decided to skip the short Mooney Falls trail and drive on up the forest road to its end. Just before the parking area we spied the signature white blazes of the Appalachian Trail. After a flat walk through a rhododendron tunnel we again spied the white blazes and made our way up the back side of Albert mountain on the AT, where some climbed the fire tower and others took in the views of North Georgia at just a little before sunset. Arriving back at our house we enjoyed a great meal with multiple choices of dishes, not the least of which was Sarah’s delicious Taco soup.
The next morning, we made our way to Deep Gap along a sometimes confusing maze of forest service roads to another section of the AT which climbs Standing Indian Mountain, passes an AT shelter and eventually goes to a blue blazed side trail to the peak/overlook from the top of the mountain. The view west and southwest was truly breathtaking on this crystal-clear day. Here we enjoyed our lunch sprawled out on the flat rocks and grass. One highlight was talking to a young man who was on the last few days of a flip-flop through hike.
On the morning of our 3rd day we hiked the Park Ridge/Park Creek Loop trail in the same area. This was a bit if a challenge as we had not anticipated the long climb on a 10” wide trail. Oh, and did I mention it had a steep drop-off on the outside? Returning on a connector trail by the other side of the ridge was beautiful with Beech Trees, more Rhodies and following a stream which eventually flowed into the Nantahala River. The one large creek crossing was a sight to behold with some opting to cross on a narrow log bridge and others putting plastic bags on their feet held by rubber bands. (Note to self- bring larger bags next time.)
Having had a brief sprinkle toward the end of the hike we returned to our very patient compatriots who had been waiting at the cars for almost 4 hours. All in all, a wonderful 3 days.
If you would like to see the pictures taken by some of the hikers, I have grouped them as I received them.
To see some pictures from the Hinton Center, click here. To see pictures from Day One, click here. To see pictures from Deep Creek, click here. To see pictures from Laurel Falls, click here. To see pictures from Albert Mtn. click here. Miscellaneous, click here. If I missed anybody or any pictures, please resend them with a note and I will definitely include them.